Siddharth Desai

About Siddharth Desai

Result-oriented professional with nearly 17 years of extensive experience in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP & A), specializing in implementing financial strategies, leading high-impact projects, and driving value creation for organizations.Expertise Highlights:• Comprehensive hands-on experience in FP & A activities including revenue, balance sheet, and expense forecasting across diverse business functions such as Operations & Technology.• Proficient in month-end closure monitoring, budget preparation, and monthly financial reviews.• Skilled in preparing business plans and strategic review decks, financial planning, P&L monitoring, financial and internal control, financial modeling, variance analysis, and trend analysis.• Act as a trusted advisor to business units, leading projects to drive cost efficiencies, optimize business product mix, and enhance procedural synergies.Strategic Leadership:• Played a pivotal role in establishing and formulating finance and business strategies in collaboration with top management, successfully implementing cost optimization strategies.• Demonstrated broad-based expertise in streamlining processes and developing cost-effective solutions to enhance organizational profitability.• Active member of the Leadership Team, driving strategic business initiatives that support growth and representing the financial functions in Management Committee Meetings.Achievements:• Developed and implemented financial models to measure and monitor profitability across all business units, managing multiple global finance and business projects successfully.• Documented and assessed control environments within various domestic and international units to ensure compliance with company policies.• Led significant change management committees within FP & A, consistently achieving and exceeding organizational goals.Engaged as a distinguished guest speaker to contribute insights on the \"Importance of inter-team collaboration\" during a high-profile panel discussion at the prestigious IIM Kashipur\'s Annual Conclave \"Manthan\".With a proven track record of driving financial efficiency and strategic growth, I am passionate about leveraging my expertise to support and enhance organizational success. Let\'s connect and explore how we can collaborate to achieve remarkable results. Do reach me out at: d•••••••@yahoo.co.in

Experience

1. Senior Vice President

   Citi

   Dec 2022 — Present

   Driving Strategic Financial Performance and Operational Excellence• Doubling ROTCE: Developed a comprehensive proposal for the CEO\'s office aimed at doubling Return on Tangible Common Equity (ROTCE) within 5 years. Collaborated with the London office to create a white paper with actionable insights on banker productivity, hiring mix, and optimizing product offerings. Presented this to the Global FP & A head and Business CEO.• Cost Savings Initiatives: Analyzed and presented a proposal to the COO\'s office to convert long-term contract staff to permanent positions, resulting in annual savings of $4 million and it is approved.• Enhancing FP & A Processes: Led the \"Tools & Processes Work Group\" at the Mumbai FP & A Center, partnering with the Technology team to enhance forecasting and reporting processes. Successfully collaborated with teams across Mumbai, Costa Rica, and New York, earning \"Gold\" awards twice in two months.• Promoting a Positive Work Environment: Consistently achieved a VOE (Voice of Employee) score of over 90% in annual surveys, reflecting a vibrant and conducive work environment.• Consolidating Reporting Platforms: Consolidated and automated reporting infrastructure across the O&T FP & A vertical within 3 months, integrating several siloed reporting platforms and enabling EUC remediation.• Forecasting and Reporting Tool for EMEA: Created a robust Excel-based forecasting and reporting tool for tracking strategic initiatives and banker hiring across locations for the EMEA Private Bank business, enabling efficient \"what-if\" analysis. Highlights:• Established a team in Mumbai and led global inter-company shared charges allocations and reporting across Mumbai, Tampa, and Costa Rica (Mar 2012 - Dec 2015).• Managed inter-company allocation models, reporting, and analytics.• Received \"Dazzle,\"\"Praise,\" & \"Platinum\" awards at Citi for excellence in leadership and value creation

Education

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

  Chartered Accountant

  2002 — 2005